Plácido Domingo

LEONCAVALLO Nuit d.mai Lang Lang Domingo 4776633

Unstoppable Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo is back with a tantalizing selection of non-operatic treats by Ruggero Leoncavallo . . . Domingo, 69, is in amazing voice, and the rich accompaniment is nicely handled by conductor Alberto Veronesi and the Orchestra del Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Lang Lang sensitively accompanies on five songs and gets two piano solos to cap the disc. The pianist holds himself back elegantly, respectfully. The most beautiful song is "Hymne à la lyre", about how music enchants the soul. Domingo and Lang do exactly that.

. . . I found the two piano works thoroughly charming, particularly the way Lang plays them. He is truly in his element here: playful and elegant, finding just the right mode of expression without trying too hard to make more of them than they are. His use of rubato and rallentando is simply delicious. One can almost smell the waft of summer evening air as he plays. Bravo, Lang Lang!

. . . relishing the challenge, Domingo shakes off any sense of routine generalisation . . . He invests in the role, dramatically, vocally. He takes risks and the voice responds magnificently, like a vintage car that thrives on use. There is burnished gold to the tone . . . all the old charisma is there . . . An extraordinary feast, this, of, and for, young and old, but young and old particularly . . . Young (or relatively young) Leoncavallo works his fingers to the bone playing piano in the cafés of Paris and sounds as though he loves it. Relatively old Domingo sings with the voice of the young poet and really does love it! This is an astonishing performance, even for him . . . He can still sing with the fervour of youth but also with its flexibility, its ease and grace of movement. And, typically, he demonstrates all of this in something new . . . Lang Lang plays with (alternately) the lingering fingers of old nostalgia and the headlong impetuosity of youthful adventure.

The voice is still evenly produced, with its warm burnished tone and solid production values still preserved . . . But the basic glowing sound remains as it always has been. As if that weren't enough, Domingo continues to learn new repertoire, and to sing with a deep sense of commitment . . . As a bonus, DG gives us six songs by Leoncavallo, beautifully sung by Domingo and very sensitively accompanied by Lang Lang . . . Alberto Veronesi and his Bologna orchestra clearly understand the idiom and seem genuinely inspired by the occasion. DG provides very informative notes. The recorded sound is excellent; neither the tenor nor the orchestra dominates, and the sound balances clarity with warmth perfectly . . . This is a delightful and important recording.